Part-2 Ch-12 Ep-05

MAKI'S POV

Once all the students’ roll calls were finished, the teachers left for a while.

Mari was the one who noticed that.

They were probably gathering somewhere to write their daily reports or discuss plans for the next day now that roll call was over.

When we cautiously opened the door just a crack, there was no sign of anyone outside, and the hotel corridor was eerily silent.

“Shall we go?”

Because we had been pressed close together in front of the door while checking for any sign of people, when Mari whispered that, her breath brushed lightly against my ear.

“…Yeah.”

I answered while trying to hide how hot my ears felt and deliberately avoiding her gaze.

“Maki, hurry up.”

Completely unaware of my condition, Mari slipped smoothly into the corridor through the slightly opened door and beckoned to me impatiently.

To that, I replied in a mildly irritated voice, “I know, I know,” and followed after her.

It was a little frustrating that it felt as though I was the only one who was conscious of it.

The two of us hurried down the empty hotel corridor.

Behind us, the room door closed with a loud “gachan” that echoed all around.

The more aware you are that you are doing something wrong, the sharper all your senses become.

It felt like I could hear the elevator stopping on another floor, and even the breathing of the students inside each room.

If we were caught doing something like this, the teachers would surely scold us severely.

But if it was with Mari, even that did not seem so bad. Without looking back, we slipped out through the emergency stairs.

Behind the hotel, there was immediately a beach.

And the scenery I had longed for, gazing at it from the room window for the past three days, was waiting for us with an expression completely different from the daytime.

There was very little moonlight tonight, and the surroundings were quite dark.

We stepped down onto the sandy beach and walked side by side along the water’s edge.

The sea breeze carried a strong scent of the ocean, and I thought it was a good thing we had skipped taking a bath.

By the time we returned to the room, the two of us would probably smell salty all over.

The sound of the waves rolling in and out echoed continuously, and now and then a larger swell crashed at our feet, sending up a spray of water.

Each time it happened, I startled and flinched.

In the pitch-black sea that felt so different from the daytime, I sensed a loneliness creeping in, and I tightened my grip on Mari’s hand.

The excitement from earlier seemed to fade, on the verge of turning into anxiety.

At that moment, Mari said, “Maki, look, look carefully,” gently squeezing my hand in return as she pointed behind us, to the path we had walked along the shoreline.

“Look at what?” I asked.

“Just look, come on,” Mari urged as she turned around.

Still not understanding, I shifted my gaze from the waves I had been watching so intently to the space behind us.

And then.

“What is this……”

The footprints we had just left in the sand were glowing faintly and dimly.

The light was softer than that of fireflies, so gentle that you had to strain your eyes to see it.

“…The beach is glowing?”

When I let out a voice of surprise, Mari giggled quietly. Even in the darkness, I could tell she was laughing happily. I could see her smile.

Mari was laughing.

For me, that alone was enough to make this beach feel like a special place from that very moment.

“It’s noctiluca,” Mari said.

“Yakou… chuu…?”

I am not an expert either, but she explained while showing me the search results on her smartphone.

They are plankton that live in the sea, and apparently they emit a faint glow when stimulated.

It said they can be seen in warm ocean regions like Okinawa.

“They’re not bugs……” I muttered, and Mari replied in an amused tone, “Right?”

When I looked more closely, I realized that not only our footprints but even the incoming waves were faintly glowing.

I had thought it was moonlight, but realizing that the sea itself was glowing made the scene feel strangely fantastical.

“Beautiful……”

I murmured without thinking.

Because there was so little moonlight tonight, the faint glow stood out vividly against the darkness.

“So, how is the real nighttime sea?” Mari asked.

“Huh?”

At her question, I tilted my head and repeated, “Real?”

Had we ever talked about a sea that was not real?

Ah, but earlier.

“Wait, could it be when I was talking earlier about the hotaru glass Godaiin-kun gave me?”

“Yeah. That one looked like the nighttime sea trapped inside and was beautiful too, but the real nighttime sea is the one we came to together, just the two of us.”

[T/N - If you are wondering if it's a real world phenomenon then Yes it is. Nature is mesmerizing like that. It's called bioluminescent , if you go with proper planning and season around Okinawa, Maldives, mosquito bay, you can probably see it. And yes you can walk on it like in the story.]

As she said that, Mari smiled proudly, like a child showing off a treasure.

I caught my breath.

“See? Right?” Mari leaned closer and peered into my face.

“…Yeah, that’s right,” was all I could manage to say as I looked down.

My face was breaking into a foolish grin, and I could not speak properly.

“Maki, your hand hurts.”

Ignoring Mari’s protest, I squeezed the hand I was holding even tighter. My feelings were overflowing, and it felt like they would never stop.

No, actually, my “I love you so much” has been overflowing for a very, very long time.

It keeps overflowing and overflowing, and because of that, if Mari does not accept more and more of it, I do not know what to do with these feelings, and that is why I always end up losing control.

But when she accepts my feelings like this, and even returns them in such a happy way, my feelings for Mari overflow all over again, and I become completely helpless.

Cling to me more.

Restrain me more.

Fill me with yourself so completely that I cannot even breathe. That would be fine too.

“Am I… maybe loved?” I asked cautiously.

“Huh? You hadn’t noticed? I love you so much,” Mari answered teasingly.

My self-esteem shot straight up.

I am glad it is dark.

I do not have to hide how red my face is.

As I looked into Mari’s sparkling eyes, I thought that.

“Mari, can I kiss you?”

“Yeah.”

I love you.

I whispered it only in my heart, and we kissed on the nighttime beach.

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Authors Note

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After about one more chapter’s worth of updates, this chapter will come to an end~

Please stay with me just a little longer!

BY Chirichiri